Phosphatidylserine: What Is it?
A short history of Phosphatidylserine.
Phosphatidylserine is a chemical that is present in the human body. The body makes phosphatidylserine, but our bodies can benefit from food that contains phosphatidylserine like soy beans, white beans, and organ meats for the carnivores among us. Additionaly, phosphatidylserine can be taken as a supplement. While these supplements were once made from the brain cells of cattle, nowadays they are commonly made from plant sources like cabbage or soy.
Preliminary studies have shown that phosphatidylserine may be useful for treating Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, a decline in memory and thinking skills that occurs normally with age, athletic performance, and many other conditions, but as of right now there is not solid scientific evidence to support most of these uses.
How does it work?
Uses & Effectiveness?
- Attention and Memory: phosphatidylserine seems to improve attention, language skills, and memory in aging people with declining thinking skills. Most research has used phosphatidylserine derived from the brain cells of cattle rather than modern most supplements made from soy or cabbage. Taking phosphatidylserine might also reduce a person's risk for a decline in memory and thinking skills with age, but research is currently limited and unclear.
- Alzheimer's Disease: taking phosphatidylserine can temporarily improve some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease after 6-12 weeks of treatment. It seems to work best in people with less severe symptoms, but phosphatidylserine might become less effective over time. After 16 weeks of treatment, the progression of Alzheimer’s disease seems to typically overcome any benefit provided by phosphatidylserine.
It can be used to improve:
- Athletic Performance: Research shows that taking phosphatidylserine with caffeine and vitamins might improve mood and reduce feelings of tiredness after exercising. These improvements are likely to be small however, and it's not clear if the benefit is from phosphatidylserine or other ingredients. In one example, taking phosphatidylserine for 6 weeks before playing golf seemed to improve how well a golfer teed off, but it didn't seem to reduce stress or heart rate during a round of golf as a whole.
- Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Research shows that taking plant-derived phosphatidylserine helps improve attention, impulse control, and hyperactivity in children and teens with ADHD.
- Dementia: Taking phosphatidylserine might reduce the risk of developing dementia in older people. But research is currently limited and unclear.
- Depression: There is some early evidence that phosphatidylserine might improve depression in older people.
- Muscle Soreness From Exercise: Some research shows that taking phosphatidylserine during strenuous training might help reduce muscle soreness after exercise.
Suggested Dosage
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Phosphatidylserine is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken appropriately for up to 3 months. Phosphatidylserine can cause side effects such as insomnia and stomach upset, particularly at doses over 300 mg.
There is some concern that products made from animal sources could transmit diseases, such as mad cow disease, but there is no evidence of this happening. To date, there are no known cases of humans getting animal diseases from phosphatidylserine supplements. But stay on the safe side and look for supplements made from plants.